Gas safety check

[cheeseislifeyes]

Hello 👋

Hope you’re all well.

I’d appreciate your advice on the following- just want to make sure gas appliances are safe before exchanging.

I spoke to an engineer from gas safe register about a gas safety check and just want to make sure the info he provided is correct. Hopefully you can tell me if it sounds right.

I want to check the boiler, fireplace and radiators are safe and working fine before exchanging. I don’t want to pay for a boiler service in case the purchase falls through 😅

I have been quoted the following (verbally):

£109 + VAT for the inspection of the boiler. This is to check there is no gas leak in the boiler.

40 + VAT for checking the two ground floor fireplaces are safe.

30 + VAT for checking the radiators. Apparently they don’t check the radiators during a gas safety check normally since it’s more of a plumbing thing.

At the end of this they’ll issue a PDF certificate listing all the gas appliances they tested. They do not need to contact Building Regs about this.

Does this sound right?

Thanks in advance 🤞

Sounds slightly nuts to me TBH - you're essentially just handing money to a highly skilled professional to do very little. Checking radiators is just throwing money away - all they can do really is leak. Don't know where you are based, but I had my boiler fully serviced just last week for less than £100 including VAT, so to be handing the guy nearly £200 quid just for essentially a callout fee to check things are connected and do no more sounds like a total waste of money.

Thanks for your response.
what happens during a boiler service exactly?

The boiler is 20 years old and I know I’ll have to replace it eventually, just hoping for a year or two of life from it.

there are two gas fireplaces in the house and just need to make sure they’re safe

Also I’m not sure when to get the boiler serviced as I don’t own the house yet but don’t want to pay for the vendor’s boiler service

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there are two gas fireplaces in the house and just need to make sure they’re safe

Why do you think they wouldn't be safe? Have you asked the vendor when they were last serviced?

Have you asked the seller when was the last time they had their boiler serviced? Most people get them done annually and my gas safe person does the gas cooking range, gas fire in the lounge and he bleeds my radiators for me and I have a gas Safety certificate. I'm in West Midlands and it costs me about £140. I have it done every January.

Sounds about right, well done for organising.

Do you realise there is a difference between being ' safe ' and ' working fine ' ?
and that it is most unusual to check the radiators are getting hot as they don't contain gas.
A gas safety test checks none of the gas items in the property are leaking gas etc. not that the central heating system works.

And do you realise that the owner of the property will receive a copy of the gas safety rest - as the gas appliances currently belong to them in their house.
so if the sale falls through you have just provided them with a free gas safety test.

just to answer a few questions, we are discussing exchange date now, so basically at the end of the process. I left this gas safety part to the last couple of weeks because it’s better to get a snapshot just before move in.

The vendor did a boiler service over two years ago. The property is unoccupied since.

it’s only the heating and hot water that uses gas. The cooker and oven are electric in this property.

@hannahcolobus thanks for your message. Can you kindly explain what a boiler service entails exactly? What do you recommend I have done before exchange? I personally thought a gas safety check is suffice - do you know what paperwork I should expect for this?

On the day we move in, I prefer to have the boiler service done then, but happy to Change my mind based on what others suggest. I just wanted to make sure the gas side of things and fireplace are safe before I move in there with my wife. I just have no idea what I should/could do for peace of mind before and after exchange.

I might leave the radiators for a plumber given the advice above from you all. Maybe I should do that after completion.

Ask the seller to get it serviced or request indemnity insurance paid by them which is normal process when paperwork is missing or not completed.

I pay £80 plus VAT to get everything checked: hob, boiler etc (no fireplace). Not sure why he'd be checking the radiators? I might pay slightly more in London.

I would just get a boiler service arranged for as soon as you move in. It seems like a waste of money to pay for a safety check and then a service, because the service includes a safety check. Get whoever does it to check the gas fires at the same time, if the current occupants are alive it would extremely unlikely that something lethal would happen to them immediately you move in.
Personally I would just check the radiators for leaks and cold spots myself. But again, it can wait until you move in, there nothing about a radiator that can be dangerous.

Same here. Although he doesn't bleed the radiators. Costa about £120

I wouldn't be letting a potential buyer service my boiler before they've moved it. It does t take long, but it would be a massive inconvenience to me.

That’s super super expensive for a gas safety check, if that is genuinely all you want. If you want services etc then yes that’s more expensive.

When we have our gas safety check done by the landlord all gas appliances are checked.
So for us it's just the boiler has we have no other appliances that are gas.
My neighbour has her bolier and cooker checked.
When I lived at home my mum had gas fire and that was checked during a gas safety check.